Congressman Austin Scott is in his sixth term as the U.S. Representative for Georgia's Eighth Congressional District. His committee assignments include the House Armed Services Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, both vitally important to Georgia and the Eighth District. He is known as a respected voice on national security and agriculture issues and a fierce fighter for Georgia’s military installations and rural communities.
ISRAEL
As your Representative of Congress, a top priority of mine will always be ensuring the safety and security of our great nation. Central to this belief is the recognition that the national security of the United States is directly tied to the strength and security of the State of Israel.
My commitment to the security of Israel has been unwavering. In recent months, we have witnessed a succession of mass protests and turmoil in many Middle East nations. This regional upheaval clearly underscores the importance of Israel as the preeminent, stable democracy in the Middle East and America's strongest democratic ally in the region.
Therefore, I believe that ensuring Israel's continued qualitative military edge in the region and completing the U.S.-Israel 10-year Memorandum of Understanding for military assistance remains a key American national security priority. Israel currently faces threats from escalating instability in Egypt, Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon, Hamas terrorists in Gaza and the existential danger posed by Iran's nuclear program. U.S. security assistance to Israel, including supporting Israel's acquisition of the Iron Dome rocket defense system, has never been more important for our own national security interests.
UN
The United States currently provides more funding to the UN than any other country. Corruption runs rampant in the organization and many countries fail to pay their dues. I believe that cooperation with other nations to promote peace and democracy remains important. However, I strongly believe that we should act in our own best interest and not be subject to foreign authority, especially one with as many problems as the UN. While we should strive for bilateral agreements, we should always do what is best for our country first. The United States needs to retain military dominance in order to defend freedom and liberty on our soil and around the world.
The UN continually fails to confront terrorism as well as true enemies to democracy and world stability. As your Representative, I pledge to support the United States' prestige on the global scale and will do my best to not allow other countries to undermine us.
